Stranded in a Small Town...

Moreton in Marsh Travel Blog

So I had this romantic idea of going out to the Cotswold region (a nearby beautiful countryside with small towns) and renting a bike and exploring the area. I had heard it was great and I had even researched it online beforehand.

The only town in the main region served by train was Moreton-in-Marsh, where there was supposed to be a bike shop in the town where I could rent one. I woke up a little late and ended up taking the late-morning train out of Oxford (I tend to sleep in when I don't HAVE to get up for something).

I soon got to Moreton-in-Marsh and it was wonderful small town! Just like you'd want out of a non-touristy small town in the middle of England. However, I couldn't find the bike shop and the town was really small- easily walkable within 10 minutes.

Another view.

So I went to a local hotel and talked to the front desk. "Do you have a cycle hire?" (that's what they call it here- I love it!) She responded: "No, our only one recently just closed."

It was shame, I thought, but no worries- I knew of one in town about 8 miles away- I had seen the website and everything. So I went to the center of town to the bus station to find out when the next bus to Chipping Camden, the town with the certain cycle hire. Turns out only one bus out of the many listed ran on Sunday- it went to Stratford-upon-Avon. That was fine and so I decided to save the biking idea for another day and instead planned to go over to Stratford, since I had been meaning to check it out eventually anyway. The next bus there wasn't leaving for about 2.5 hours, so I figured I'd take the train instead.

Laying out in the park and reading...

My carefree attitude of just casually traveling around then backfired on me. Not only was this a small train that rarely had train stop in it, but it was also a Sunday, when trains barely run anyway. I should have know better because I walked up right as the train in my direction was pulling away- the next one would be for 3 hours!

I was little disappointed at myself, but I laughed at the irony. No worries! I would catch the bus to Stratford, as it was going to be the most direct route anyway. So I spent the next hour or so really enjoying the town, going into shops and cafes with no intention to buy anything. It was such a nice day that I found a park and laid out in the sun and took a nap, while occasionally reading my homework for class. The perfect things to do when you are stuck in a small town!

I caught the bus to Stratford-upon-Avon and decided go to the train station first before doing anything else and see the schedules! I needed to get back to Oxford by dinner time and because I had a fair amount of work to do for the week anyway. Turns out, the next train back to Oxford was in less than hour and there wouldn't be another again for several hours! I laughed again at my bad luck but then immediately set off at a fast pace- I was going to see the town in 45 minutes!

And that I certainly did. I wouldn't have paid to go in the main tourist attractions- Shakespeare's Home- anyway, so I was fine with standing outside and taking pictures. The town was full of people! Very lively and a nice change to where I had been before. I wandered up the streets (quickly) and besides his home I saw the main theatre, Old Town Square, and the riverfront park where there was a festival and plenty of people out. I really enjoyed the town and wish I could have spent more time there instead of a speed-walking tour, but alas, our time here is precious and there is much that I want to see.

In all, the day didn't exactly work out as I had planned, but I still had a great time!